US man sues Apple for $10bn

Acaciapat.com – A US man has sued Apple for $10 billion in a copyright infringement case centring on an Electronic Reading Device (ERD).

Thomas Ross filed his claim at the US District Court for the Southern District of California on Monday, June 27.

The case centres on technical drawings related to an ERD that Ross created in 1992.

An ERD is a reading and writing device with a back-lit touch screen that allows users to read stories, news articles and watch films.

Initially Ross applied for a patent covering technology used in the ERD but his application was abandoned by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1995 because the application fee had not been paid.

Ross attempted to revive the invention in 1999 but the USPTO abandoned it again the following year.

In May 2015, Ross secured a copyright registration for four technical drawings at the US Copyright Office.

Ross claimed that since 2007 Apple has used technical drawings of an ERD that are “substantially the same” to his technical drawings and initial design.

He said Apple had hijacked and exploited his design for use in iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Ross is seeking a minimum of $10 billion in damages, as well as royalties, attorneys’ fees and a trial by jury.